Summary
In this lesson, students evaluate the historical and cultural perspectives behind spoken word poetry. Students review several spoken word poems and analyze their historical, cultural, and social connections while studying the history of spoken word poetry. Students then demonstrate and justify their understanding of the concept of spoken word poetry and its influences and perspectives with a creative final product. This is a multimodality lesson, which means it includes face-to-face, online, and hybrid versions of the lesson. The attachments also include a downloadable Common Cartridge file, which can be imported into a Learning Management System (LMS) such as Canvas or eKadence. The cartridge includes interactive student activities and teacher's notes.
Essential Question(s)
What impact does history have on literature? How does literature shape or reflect culture?
Snapshot
Engage
Students respond to questions after watching a spoken word poetry video.
Explore
Students analyze several spoken word poetry videos.
Explain
Students read and discuss The History of Spoken Word Poetry.
Extend
Students evaluate a spoken word poem and make inferences about the poet's perspective and influences.
Evaluate
Students use the Color, Symbol, Image strategy to demonstrate their understanding of the history and influences of spoken word poetry.
Instructional Formats
The term "Multimodality" refers to the ability of a lesson to be offered in more than one modality (i.e. face-to-face, online, blended). This lesson has been designed to be offered in multiple formats, while still meeting the same standards and learning objectives. Though fundamentally the same lesson, you will notice that the different modalities may require the lesson to be approached differently. Select the modality that you are interested in to be taken to the section of the course designed for that form of instruction.
Materials
Lesson Slides (attached)
Note Catcher handout (attached; one for each student)
The History of Spoken Word Poetry Resource Page (attached; one for each student)
Color, Symbol, Image handout (attached; one for each student)
Color, Symbol, Image Rubric (attached; one for each student)
Writing paper
Pencil or pen
Highlighters (optional)
Art supplies
Engage
15 Minute(s)
Use the attached Lesson Slides to follow along with this lesson. Display slide 3. Read aloud the essential questions. Ask students to consider the questions and volunteer any thoughts they might have. Move to slide 4 and briefly discuss the lesson objective.
Display slide 5. Play the video on the slide:
Display slide 6. Review the questions on the slide with students. Ask them to consider the questions and share with an Elbow Partner. After an appropriate amount of time has passed for discussion, ask for volunteers to share their thoughts with the class. Follow up with a whole class discussion.
Explore
45 Minute(s)
Display slide 7. Pass out a copy of the attached Note Catcher handout to each student. Explain to students that they will be watching six spoken word poetry videos. For each video, assign them to take notes on their Note Catcher handout.
Have them consider the following questions as they watch the videos:
Whom is the poet speaking to (Who is their audience)?
From whose perspective is the poet speaking?
What is the subject/topic of the poem?
How is the topic culturally relevant?
How is the topic historically relevant?
How is the topic socially relevant?
What strategies do the poets use to make their poems relevant?
Review the definition of culturally, historically, and socially relevant, if necessary.
Display slide 8. Play the first video. Allow students time to complete their Note Catcher for each video before moving on to the next presentation.
Display slides 9-13. Continue with the same process of asking students to take notes during each of the videos.
Discuss as a class what stood out in each of the presentations. Ask for volunteers to share any questions about any of the videos. Encourage students to share anything they find interesting, disturbing, or familiar in any of the poems.
Explain
30 Minute(s)
Display slide 14.
When the class has discussed the videos, assign the handout Resource Page—History of Spoken Word Poetry.
Prompt students to highlight important words or points or take notes in the margins as they read. Ask them to identify any questions the videos may have generated. When they finish reading, ask them to write down the most significant or important point they learned from the text. If needed, review the POMS strategy with the students.
Ask students to discuss their points of significance in small groups and then share out to the whole class. Be sure to address any misconceptions students may have at this time.
Extend
30 Minute(s)
Display slide 15. Have students choose one of the videos they viewed earlier in the lesson. You may need to review them. Alternatively, they could choose another spoken word poem if they have a favorite. Ask students to watch the video again and answer these questions about their chosen poem:
What clues to the poet's culture can you identify?
What historical references does the poet use?
What social issue is the poet addressing?
What does the poet think society expects from them?
Why did the poet chose spoken word poetry over other mediums of expression?
Ask students to consider these questions carefully, to write their answers to the questions on a sheet of paper (students could also use a Google Doc, if you prefer) with the name of the video they chose, and turn in.
Evaluate
45 Minute(s)
Display slide 16. Review the CSI: Color, Symbol, Image strategy with students if needed.
Pass out a copy of the Color, Symbol, Image handout and the Color, Symbol, Image Rubric to each student. Explain to students that they will reflect on what they have learned about the historical, social, and/or cultural perspectives and influences of spoken word poetry using a color, a symbol, and an image. They will also write a brief statement explaining why they chose that color, symbol, and image to represent their thinking.
Resources
Brown, A., & Otuteye, M. (2018, April 10). The Bread Loaf School of English toolkit for teaching spoken word & slam poetry. https://nanopdf.com/download/teaching-slam-poetry_pdf
Dang, A. (2014, January 29). What kind of Asian are you? Button Poetry. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoP0ox_Jw_w
Gorman, A. (2020, March 4). Rise. Vital Voices Global Partnership. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdBT9JBV09k
Inkbottle Press. (n.d.) History of spoken word poetry. https://www.inkbottlepress.com/interesting/history-of-spoken-word-poetry.html
K20 Center. (n.d.). CSI: Color, Symbol, Image. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/161
K20 Center. (n.d.). Elbow Partners. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/116
K20 Center. (n.d.). Jigsaw. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/179
K20 Center. (n.d.). POMS: Point of Most Significance. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/101
K20 Center. (January 27, 2021). Online Discourse Etiquette. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPUXQAuhD3E&t=1s
K20 Center. (n.d.). Online discussions. Pedagogy. https://k20center.ou.edu/pedagogy/online-discussions/
K20 Center. (n.d.). Padlet. External apps tutorial. https://k20center.ou.edu/externalapps/padlet/
Koyczan, S. (2013, February 19). To This Day. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltun92DfnPY
Leake, B. (2020, September 1). Spoken word to his mother. America's got talent. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaM-OrZi6IA
Lykesd, J. (2007). Perception. Facing History and Ourselves. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yyrSq7OcOA
Miazga, M. (1998). The spoken word movement of the 1990s. https://www.ndsu.edu/pubweb/~cinichol/CreativeWriting/323/Spoken%20Word%20Movement.htm
NanoPDF.com. (2018). Word & slam poetry. https://nanopdf.com/download/teaching-slam-poetry_pdf
Roth, B. (2018, December 25). Where and how did spoken word poetry originate? Quora. https://www.quora.com/Where-and-how-did-spoken-word-poetry-originate/answer/Bryan-Roth-5
Shebala, R. (2014, October 27). Love you some Indians. All def poetry. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJQmGBOP6mc
Skitterphoto. (2017, November 7). Silver-colored microphone. [Digital image]. Pexels. https://www.pexels.com/photo/silver-colored-microphone-675960/
Smithsonian Folkways. (n.d.) Say it loud. African American spoken word. https://folkways.si.edu/say-loud-african-american-spoken-word/struggle-protest/article/smithsonian
The Poetry Foundation. (n.d.). An introduction to the Black arts movement. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/collections/148936/an-introduction-to-the-black-arts-movement
Washington D.C. Team. (2013, August 9). 2013 Brave new voices - A Muslim girl and a Jewish girl. Youth speaks. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tv00xjClbx0
Wikipedia. Griot. (2021, May 13). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Griot